Water-heater for bath-tubs



:No Model) J. KERN. WATER HEATER FOR BATH TUBS. NO. 599,339. Patented Feb. 22,1898. mi

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JOHN KERN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

VVATER HEATER FOR BATH-"TUBS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,339, dated February 22, 1898. Application filed April 26, 1897- Serial No. 638,921. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN KERN, a citizen of Germany, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Heaters for Bath-Tubs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7

Many of the smaller dwelling-houses are without stove-ranges having heaters or boilers for heating water, and hence hot water for bathing purposes must be carried often several flights of stairs to the bathroom. Further, it not infrequently happens that when hot water is most desired there is none in the boiler.

The object of my present invention is to provide a portable water-heater that may be used in connection with any tub having a faucet for supplying the water.

A further object of my invention is to provide a construction by means of which the water may be quickly and economically heated while it is simply passing through the apparatus from the faucet to the tub, thus saving time, it often happening that the bather is compelled to at least begin his bath before the whole quantity of water desired has run into the tub.

In the accompanying drawings, in the different views of which corresponding parts are designated by like figures of reference, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating a bath-room in which my invention is placed, the heating apparatus and tub being in vertical section to illustrate details. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on a plane indicated by the line at 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating a device for retarding and breaking the stream of water into the heater.

1 designates the shell of the heater, that has secured in its upper and lower heads chambers or short fines of large diameter 2 and 2, respectively, closed at their inner ends. 0011- necting these chambers or fines 2 and 2 are a number of tubes 3, four being shown. The shell 1 rests upon a fire box or chamber 5, that has a gas-burner 6 of such construction that it may alsosustain an oil-lamp if there be no gas-supply to the room.

At the lower end of the shell 1 is a nipple 7, to which and the bath-tub faucet 9 is attached a rubber or flexible tube 8, while at the upper end of said shell is another nipple 10, to which a similar tube 11 is attached, having its free end to hang in the bathtub. The opening of the nipple 7 is furnished with a device for obstructing or breaking the stream of water flowing into the heater, so that cold water shall not be injected into that portion of the top which has been heated. This device may consist of a foraminate disk 15, secured across the opening.

Gas is supplied to the heater by means of a flexible pipe 13, connected with the ordinary illuminating-gas burner let, or if that be not at hand a large oil-lamp may be placed in the fire-box.

The products of combustion may, if desired, be passed out of the room by means of a pipe 12, attached to a collar on the upper end of the chamber or flue 2, as indicated; but such a step is not ordinarily necessary, as the time required for heating the water is small, and it is well known that the burning of a small quantity of gas or oil does not materially affeet the atmosphere of a room when continued for a short time.

Then a bath is to be taken, the burner is lighted and the faucet opened sufficiently to allow a moderate flow of water through the heater. The water will be heated in trcmsitu sufficiently for bathing purposes, and ordinarily a sufficient quantity will have been heat ed by the time the bather has disrobed.

It is evident from the foregoing that the apparatus may be furnished at small cost, that no change or alteration of the bath-tub now in common use will be required in order to make my apparatus available; that hot water may be quickly and economically had at any time.

As before stated, I am aware that it is not new to provide a heater for bathtub water; but the object of my invention is to furnish a portable heater with appurtenances that may be used in the bathroom in connection with an ordinary bath-tub without any al teration of that tub.

"What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The herein-described portable apparatus for heating water for bath-rooms comprising nipple 10 with and discharging into the tub, IO a shell I having nipples 7 and 10, said nipple substantially as shown and described.

7 having across its opening a foraminate dia- In Witness whereof I affix my signature in phragm 15, upper and lower heads 2 and 2 the presence of tWo Witnesses. in said shell closed at their inner ends and T 5 tubes 3 connecting said heads, a bnrnei dis- JOHN KERN charging into the lower head, a flexible pipe WVitnesses: 8 connecting said nipple 7 and bath-tub fau- GEORGE M. FINCKEL, cet 9, and a flexible pipe 11 connecting said B. F. DOELKER. 

